What Lurks
by AllTheGoodOnesWereTaken
Summary: In their senior year of high school, the Defenders of Paris are still going strong after so many years. But there is a change in the winds, and it brings ill tidings. A mysterious stranger of unknown allegiance, a new threat creeping out from the shadows cast by the city of lights, and a villain growing more desperate by the day. Rating may change with content.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _So, this is my second story on the site. My other one is not dead, just hit by life, and now I need some time to figure out what I want to do with it. So, I figured another story, in another fandom would give me a chance to sort my thoughts out. Let me know what you think. Or don't. It's a free country._

 **Chapter 1**

It was another morning, just like so many other mornings in the city of Paris. The sun was up, the birds were singing, and in one small bakery there was the sound of the usual bustling of early morning business.

It was this sound that eventually drew the young woman from her slumber. Brilliant bluebell eyes opened slowly, still laced with the haziness of exiting the dream world and trying to piece together where they were now. This lasted only so long as it took her to remember the day, and notice the sun peeking through the trap door above her bed, leading to the outside balcony.

"Gah! Tikki, I overslept! Oh no!" She said bolting up from her bed, an action that served to get her tangled in her sheets, and drop her to the floor with a sharp wince. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" She said, kicking the sheets off as a small red and black form drifted over to her.

"Calm down Marinette. You're not that late, but if you keep going like this you'll just make it worse." The kwami said, trying to soothe her charge. Marinette had matured a lot as she got older, and entered her final years of high school. But she was still prone to that unique brand of Marinette neurosis.

The bluenette looked at her kwami, and arguably best friend for the past few years, and took a deep breath. "You're right Tikki." The young woman said, standing up and tossing the sheets back onto the bed, before yawning. "Ugh... Still, could have done without the late night akuma battle." She said, moving to gather her hygiene supplies and heading for the bathroom, Tikki following behind and nodding.

The battle in question was a young woman at a college party, who caught her boyfriend drunkenly making out with another girl. Needless to say, she was not happy. And a woman scorned is bad enough but with Hawkmoth still present in the city of lights, Marinette got to see how much worse a woman scorned with superpowers was.

As Marinette stripped off her clothes for a shower she winced as she saw the ugly dark bruising on her otherwise flawlessly pale skin, and she poked at it tenderly. The fight had been rough and the akuma, Duplicita, had been ruthless, using deception based powers to create openings and hitting their blind spots like a truck.

"We're lucky Queen Bee and Alya showed up when they did." Tikki said, looking worriedly at the bruise as well, before turning her large eyes to meet her charge's. Marinette nodded, biting her lower lip as she gingerly washed the injured area.

"I know, Tikki. I hate to say it, but these new akumas have been a lot more ruthless. And it worries me. Not just them, but the fact that this is happening." She said nodding to the bruise. Normally her Miraculous power would fix all the damage caused by the fight. But for the past few years, while it would repair most of it, she found it less capable to repair the injuries they had suffered.

Tikki nodded as well, but she had no answer for it. And it aggravated the small being to no end. She wanted to keep her charge safe, but something was now impeding her ability to do so, and that worried her. She had been conversing with the other kwami when she could to discuss the issue, but none of them had any idea what was going on or how to fix it. "I know Marinette. I'm working on it. Just please, be careful and don't stress yourself."

Marinette nodded and tilted her hair back into the stream of hot water. It was soothing, especially after the fight last night.

"Marinette! Your friends are here!" A call from the stairs wrenched the young woman from her thoughts, and she fumbled for the handle to the faucet.

"I'll be right down, Maman!" She called as she turned the water off, and set about finishing her morning routine as quickly as she could.

* * *

Marinette got to the bottom of the stairs, bag slung haphazardly over one shoulder and still trying to pull her hair up into a bun. Gone were the days of the twin pigtails she used to wear as she had decided to let her hair grow out, and the tried and true bun was her go to when she was running late. So it was seen a lot.

Before she even got off the stairs, she could hear the sound of her friends' voices.

"... how could you not have any footage of the akuma battle last night? You mean to tell me that such a big piece of news won't be on the Ladyblog?" Marinette could practically see the expression on Nino's face as he said that. A quirked eyebrow, arms crossed over his chest, and head tilted in that way that conveyed disbelief. She almost giggled as right on cue, her other best friend answered.

"Yes, Nino. Some of us need sleep you know? It happened at almost one in the morning. Across town." That voice belonged to Alya, and Marinette, even unable to see her friend, managed to mimic the poses and hand gestures used by the fiery redhead as she chastised her boyfriend. Though, Marinette knew the actual reason Alya had no footage. It was the same reason she seldom had any footage of any fight where Rena Rouge shows up; she was too busy helping her and Chat Noir fend off the akuma. Marinette smiled warmly at the memory of the day she, as Ladybug, had finally entrusted her friend with the fox-tail Miraculous. Alya had been speechless, only barely managing to stammer out a thank you, and a promise to do her best to protect Paris. And it was a promise she had not broken.

Marinette had finally managed to wrestle her hair into the bun and was preparing to step around and into the bakery to greet her friends when another voice caused her to freeze in place, unable to trust her knees at that point to carry her weight.

"C'mon Nino. You know if Alya could have been there, she would have. Maybe it's better she wasn't though. I heard it was a real mess. If she was there, she may have been hurt." That soft voice, filled with concern for his friends could only belong to one person, and Marinette felt her cheeks heating up as her mind brought forth images of his soft blonde hair, and his warm emerald green eyes. It didn't help that puberty had been almost unfairly kind to the young man, which had raised hell with Marinette's own trip through the act of maturing. She was just grateful that Alya never found the summer swimwear catalog that Marinette kept under her mattress. Strictly for research purposes, of course.

It never ceased to amaze Marinette how much of an effect the model still had on her, and while she had been getting better. Slowly. Over time. She hadn't had the time to prepare herself for meeting him here this early. The conversation dulled to background noise as she looked down at her bag and Tikki. "Tikki! Adrien's here! Why is Adrien here? Do I look okay? Is my makeup smeared? Wait, did I even put on any makeup?!" She whispered to her kwami, who rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Marinette, I doubt he is going to care. But you are kind of holding them up..." The kwami started, bringing a gasp from the bluenette.

"Oh my gosh, you're right!" She said, before, taking a breath and walking into the bakery. "Hey, guys, sorry about that! I was-" Her voice trailed off when her bluebell eyes settled on the blonde in the room, before they were then drawn to the other blonde in the room. Though this was more reactionary because of the annoyed huff said blonde released.

"Ugh, jeez! Took you long enough Marinette..." The blonde girl said, looking up from her nails, her face set in that look that Marinette was convinced was just her default setting. Eyes set somewhere between unimpressed and scornful, and mouth twisted in a slight grimace. "I know you need all the work you can get in, but it's rude to keep others waiting." Chloe said, either ignorant or uncaring to how rude her own words were.

"Nice to see you too, Chloe..." Marinette deadpanned, before turning to look at her other friends. Nino had his arm slung over Alya's shoulders, holding some whispered conversation. The two had been dating for the last several years, and Marinette admired how well they had been able to make it work. Adrien stood nearby, looking through the display case at the bakery's pastries. She stifled a giggle, and made a note to grab the young man a croissant before they left. He seemed to have a soft spot for the flaky, buttery pastries.

And then her eyes inevitably made their way back to Chloe, who stood next to her redhead friend Sabrina who was looking through her phone, talking about Chloe's schedule as Chloe nodded along, almost like she wasn't really listening. But, Marinette knew better.

Sure, she still butted heads with Chloe, and they bickered quite a bit. But Chloe had started to mellow out over the past couple of years. She was still Chloe, but... less the Chloe she knew middle school. Marinette first noticed it last year, when Nathaniel had asked her to junior prom. The poor redhead artist had been a stuttering, nervous mess and Marinette had been fully prepared to have to stop an akuma after Chloe had ripped into him. Only, Chloe never did. Sure, she turned him down, and she may not have been extremely tactful about it. But, she hadn't mocked him. Hadn't taken an embarrassing picture to spread on the internet. In fact, and Marinette still wasn't sure she had seen this right, she had helped Nathaniel find a date. Granted it was done in a Chloe manner, a flippant remark that maybe he'd be better off asking one of their other classmates, Rebecca, before walking away. The weird thing was, he did. And it worked out pretty well, all things considered.

In her excitement to see Adrien she had forgotten that Chloe would naturally be there. Two years ago, Gabriel Agreste had finally loosened his stranglehold on his only son in a few ways. One of them was that he allowed Adrien to go to school without his driver/bodyguard having to escort him. However, this concession was only made at the behest, and prodding, of Chloe and her father Andre Bourgeois. And only if Adrien went with Chloe. And while Marinette was at first disgruntled by this news, Adrien had claimed that the blonde had been decidedly less clingy.

Speaking of Adrien, he turned his dazzling green eyes towards Marinette, and gave her a smile that made a whole swarm of butterflies kick up in her stomach. She could feel her face heating up, and her mind began to race.

 _'Oh my gosh! That smile! It's unfair! Nobody should be able to be this handsome... It has to be some sort of crime. And his hair looks so soft today. I bet it would feel like silk. And his eyes... Oh, I could get lost in those eyes forever... And the way his lips move- Wait! His lips are moving?! Oh no! Was he saying something?! Oh no Marinette! What did he say?! Think girl, think!'_ Her mind ran from thoughts of the target of her infatuation, to panic mode as she feared looking like a total doofus in front of her crush. Thankfully Adrien didn't notice, and somebody else did.

"Of course they have spare croissants, Adrien. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Marinette's parents started baking extra just for you." Alya cut in, moving to stand beside Marinette and elbowing her playfully in the side as she spoke, casting the girl a meaningful look as she did so. Marinette offered a grateful smile to her friend.

"Oh, yeah! O-of course we, uh... Croissants! Y'know, for you! I'll uh... Yeah..." She said, moving off around the counter to gather a few of the pastries for Adrien, and some cookies for her other friends as well. Alya sighed and shook her head with a slight smile. Marinette was getting better, but anytime Adrien caught her off guard she reverted to her stuttering, blundering, nervous wreck state.

* * *

The ride to school was thus far rather uneventful, although Marinette was surprised that Chloe had allowed her to ride in her limo in the first place. She figured Nino got in because he was best buds with Adrien, and Alya was his girlfriend. So, when she had been preparing to say goodbye and begin the walk to their highschool, only to have Chloe speak up saying she could join them as long as she was 'careful not to get her Marinette stink all over the seats', Marinette wasn't sure how to react. Ultimately she caved when she noticed the open seat next to Adrien.

On the way to school, Chloe checked her phone, likely updating her social media, while Sabrina went over her homework. Nino and Alya were discussing plans for their five year anniversary. Well, it was mostly Alya dropping not so subtle hints, and Nino being coy in his responses between talking with Adrien about an upcoming science project.

The surrealism of the situation settled on Marinette all at once. It was all so normal. In fact, it almost felt too normal when she reflected on the fact that two people in the car were superheroes who frequently fought to save Paris.

"Something on your mind, Mari?" The voice cut through her thoughts like a hot knife through butter, and she jerked her head up to meet the gaze of one Adrien Agreste. "Ah! Adrien! Uh, what? No! Wait, uh... Hi." She said. She was vaguely aware of the sound of Alya's award winning facepalm.

Adrien looked at her curiously, tilting his head slightly as those emerald eyes looked at her. She hated when he did this. Not for any fault of his own, but rather because when he did it, she always found images of another pair of green eyes invading her mind, this one belonging to a leather clad superhero who fought alongside her, and always had her back.

She really couldn't ask for a better partner than Chat Noir, all things considered. Well, okay to be fair, she could do without the puns. But he was loyal, and trustworthy, and willing to take a bullet for her. And while she still harbored very strong feelings for Adrien, she couldn't deny that the sly alley cat had worked himself out his only little place in her heart. And being reminded of Chat while talking to Adrien always made Marinette feel oddly guilty.

Adrien, after a moment of silence, chuckled slightly, giving the girl next to him a warm smile and gently bumped her with his shoulder. "Hey, relax Marinette. I know it may seem weird, but Chloe is really working on being a better person. Just give her a chance?" Adrien said. Marinette wasn't sure how to feel about him misreading the situation like he did, but seeing this as a less awkward conversation to have than the feelings she may or may not be developing for a certain cocky, attractive alley cat, she jumped on it.

"Yeah, I know..." She said, looking at her hands as she drummed her fingers together, worried if she looked at Adrien's face she'd lose the ability to speak. "It's just weird is all. But, I am glad to see her making the effort." She then leaned forward slightly, peering around the model to her blonde nemesis on his other side. "And thank you Chloe, for offering me a ride today." She said.

Chloe scoffed, and turned her head away from Marinette. "Yeah, whatever... Just don't think it's going to be a regular thing. I have a reputation to uphold, you know." The blonde said, pulling out a compact to touch up her makeup, though in a brief glimpse in the small mirror, Marinette thought she may have seen those icy blue eyes lose maybe just a touch of their ice.

Adrien, for his part offered a smile and a shrug. "It's a work in progress." He said, before turning to look at Nino who was now trying desperately to keep his phone out of Alya's grasp. "Dude, help a bro out!" The part time DJ said, before tossing the phone to Adrien, who quickly became the target of Alya's attack as she lunged across the car at him.

"Give me that phone, Agreste!" She called, and Adrien barely had time to figure out what was going on before Alya was invading his personal space.

The game of keep away lasted for a few more blocks before a stern throat clearing from the driver caused them all to stop. Alya plucked the phone from Marinette's hand, who was looking as sheepish as Adrien was next to her, and returned to her seat, smiling smugly at Nino. Or she was until she went to unlock it and found he had apparently changed his password. "Oh, you son of a bitch." She said to her boyfriend.

Nino responded with a look of mock horror, one hand at his chest as if offended. "I can't believe I let you kiss me with that mouth, young lady." He said. Alya, for her part, managed to hold her glare for several seconds before breaking down into a giggle fit and kissing her boyfriend on the cheek, and dropping the phone back into his hands. "Ugh, fine... I guess you can keep that one. But! Only that one!" She said poking his chest for emphasis, her eyebrows drawn down, and her lips pressed into a thin line, in her 'serious business' expression as Marinette mentally classified it. Nino for his part just gulped and nodded.

Marinette looked from Alya and Nino to Adrien, and smiled when she saw him eating one of the croissants she had grabbed for him. She opened her mouth to ask how it was when suddenly the car lurched forward with a squeal of brakes, and a heavy thudding sound came from the front. Marrinette's blue eyes grew wide as she moved towards the door. It sounded like they had hit something, and Marinette's first instinct was to make sure it was okay. She was only vaguely aware of the others moving to do the same, even Chloe, because as she neared the window, she saw a form in dark clothing run down a nearby alleyway.

She opened the door, and moved to the front of the car where there was a single, fairly impressive dent in the hood. She looked from it, back over her shoulder to the alleyway, and then to the driver. "Excuse me sir, what happened?" She asked.

The driver huffed, and gestured to the hood. "Some lunatic came streaking across the street right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, but couldn't stop in time. He jumped up onto the hood, and then took off running."

By this time, the others had also gathered around. Adrien and Nino looked shocked, Alya looked like she was trying to get to the bottom of some mystery, and Sabrina was cowering because Chloe was livid. "Who does that guy think he is?! Oh, when daddy hears about this...!" She said, storming off to one side, and holding her phone to her ear. Marinette however found her eyes drawn back to the alleyway.

She very much doubted any normal person would be able to pull off what the driver claimed the man they had hit, or almost hit? She would worry about the semantics later. She doubted a normal guy could do that. _'But is it really an akuma?'_ She thought to herself. Akuma's tended to be... less than subtle with their presence. They always made a scene, demanding Ladybug and Chat Noir to show up and surrender their Miraculouses. But whoever this was did none of that. In fact, Marinette might not even know of their existence if it wasn't for them almost running this mystery person over. _'No sense risking it. I'll have to check it out. Not now though, it'd be too suspicious if I just disappeared.'_ She sighed, making a mental note of where this was so she could come back and come over the area later as Ladybug. _'Hopefully it's nothing big.'_

 **A/N:** _Well, chapter one in my new story. Hope it turned out okay, or at the very least gave you a way to spend a few minutes of your day. I will update periodically when the muses allow me, and I am not working on other projects. Like napping. Or work. Or more napping._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Well, on to chapter 2. Hopefully with fewer typos this time. No promises, as I did fail English class a handful of times. Anyway_ ** _,_** _read and review, or don't. Up to you. Hope you enjoy. Also, I updated chapter mostly for formatting purposes. No big story changes or anything happened. I'm just one person, usually writing these chapters way too late at night, and I miss things sometimes._

 **Chapter 2**

"Ugh, I still can't believe this!" The voice of Chloe Bourgeois echoed through the women's restroom during the passing period between classes. "First, some nobody ruins the ride to school... Well, more so than having Marinette along already did. And then she gets paired up with Adrikins for the class project instead of me?!" The blonde was ranting and pacing, as her quiet, bespectacled friend Sabrina stood to one side.

Sabrina loved Chloe as a friend. Although she would admit the friendship had not been exactly healthy during those first years, Sabrina was still glad to have it. Her confidence had always been hampered by her mousy nature, and so she followed after Chloe. But over the years she had gained some insight into who Chloe was behind the scenes. She had been a part of Chloe's games where they dressed up as the heroes of Paris and went after the butler who posed as the villain of the week, with whatever ridiculous scheme Chloe had cooked up for him. She had been there as an accomplice in some of Chloe's underhanded schemes, but she had also been there to eat ice cream and comfort the crying blonde on the anniversary of her mother disappearing.

Sabrina knew more than anyone how much Chloe had changed over the years. Ever since that event almost four years ago. Mayor Bourgeois had been akumatized, and teamed up with a new super villain calling herself Royal Wasp. The city was in complete chaos for days as Chat Noir, Ladybug, and even the new hero at the time, Rena Rogue, fought to bring down the iron-fisted regime of the akumatized Mayor.

It wasn't until they had managed to convince Royal Wasp to help them, to be a hero worthy of the Miraculous, that they managed to turn the tide. Sabrina figured that Chloe, seeing someone as wicked as Royal Wasp becoming the new hero Queen Bee, sparked something inside of her. Some desire to change.

Granted, it wasn't an overnight change. And even now, she still complained often about Marinette (something Sabrina believed was rooted in jealousy, but would never actually bring up to her friend), and would be rather blunt and tactless with her words. But it was the small things Sabrina noticed. Like the first time Chloe asked her over to help her review their homework, instead of just demanding the shy redhead do it for her. Or how she would ask for Sabrina's thoughts on what movies to watch, or invite her to parties as a friend, instead of just expecting her to show up as a personal assistant of sorts.

Sabrina felt her lips turning up in a small smile as she thought about the blonde in front of her, and how much progress she's made, even if others didn't see it.

"Is something about this situation funny?!" Chloe snapped, causing Sabrina to blink and shake her head.

"Wha-? Uh, no Chloe, of course not. Sorry, I was just thinking about how nice our last sleepover was." Sabrina said, deflecting the accusation. Chloe looked like she was going to say something else, but then just sort of deflated with a huff, and turned to look at herself in the mirror. Sabrina knew what this meant as well, even if it was a fairly new dynamic to their relationship. She moved over to stand next to the blonde as she touched up her make-up. "I'm sorry your day hasn't been going as great as it should be. But hey, look on the bright side! Adrien was sure to notice how generous it was to give his other friends a ride, your homework is done, and you don't have to share your next two classes with Marinette." Sabrina said, giving the blonde a smile.

Chloe tried to keep her dour look, but in the end, gave up as her lips curled slightly into a smile Sabrina was certain only she had ever seen. "Yeah, you're right Sabrina. Thanks." She said, closing her compact and putting it back in her purse. "Still, my poor Adrikins being subjected to being partnered with Marinette for this project just makes my soul weep for him."

Sabrina subtly rolled her eyes, following her friend out of the restroom. Sabrina actually quite liked Marinette. The girl was quiet, and a bit clumsy, but always willing to help others. And she hoped one day maybe Chloe could get past her jealousy, and work towards a friendship with the bluenette. Unfortunately, there was a slight obstacle standing in the way of that by the name of Adrien Agreste. On one hand, he had a history with Chloe as childhood friends, which had developed into a one-sided crush from Miss Bourgeois. On the other hand, Marinette had perhaps the least subtle crush in history on the blonde-haired model. In fact, the only person who had failed to notice it was Adrien himself. But Marinette had friends who had been hatching matchmaker schemes since they started high school, where as Chloe was working alone.

Personally, Sabrina didn't understand. Sure, Adrien was handsome enough. But if she was going to chase after a blonde pretty-boy, she had discovered years ago that she wanted hers clad in leather. It was a shame he was too busy fawning over Ladybug to notice someone as mousy as her though. But she had found ways to cope with that disappointment that may or may not have involved a folder on her computer with some... stories in it.

Her wandering thoughts of a sly smirk meant just for her, from the black-clad hero of Paris was interrupted when she noticed the tone of Chloe's voice, indicating she had asked a question, and Sabrina hoped she wasn't as flushed as thought she may be. "Um, sorry Chloe, I was thinking about the assignment... What did you say?"

Chloe huffed and turned to look at her friend, her icy blue eyes seeming to look through her friend, before she rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I can't believe my best friend is ignoring me for schoolwork." Chloe said, and were it anyone other than Sabrina, she may have missed the very subtle undercurrent of humor the blonde was using. Sabrina barely stifled a giggle before Chloe started speaking again. "I said that while it's terrible what is happening to my Adrikins, I feel much worse for you. Kevin Rainer, seriously? What was Mr. Dupree thinking?"

Sabrina sighed at that, but she actually didn't have much ground to argue from on this one. Kevin was... Well, he was a student there. And that's about all she could say on him. He was just there. Usually in the back of a class, quietly reading a book. Sabrina had never spoken to him. Nobody she knew had ever spoken to him. If she had to guess, Chloe's disdain for him probably stemmed from his often disheveled appearance since that was perhaps the only thing Chloe knew about him either.

Sabrina shifted her bag on her shoulder with an awkward shrug. "Well, maybe it won't be so bad? I figured I would meet up with him at lunch to discuss the project." She hadn't until just now, but most of the others in the class seemed to be doing so, and it made sense to be on the same page for a group project.

At her words, Chloe turned to look at her again, narrowing her eyes, before turning sharply. "Ugh, fine. I guess I should meet up with Max then. No sense putting it off." She said, causing Sabrina to actually giggle as she moved to walk up beside her friend and gently nudge her with her shoulder.

"Thanks Chloe. I'll see you later, okay?" Sabrina said, before moving off down one of the halls to her next class.

* * *

Adrien sat in class, staring at the board as the teacher droned on. He told himself he would never take going to public school for granted after having worked so hard on getting here, and usually he was able to keep in mind how nice it was to just be normal, to have friends and homework, and not be locked in the gilded cage that his father insisted he lived in.

Today was not one of those days. Sure, Nathalie could be boring and dry when she delivered lessons, but Miss DeGrange could give lessons on the subject of sapping the will to live through sheer ennui. Almost immediately an image flashed through his mind of an akuma with that power and he shuddered from the implications, the mental image of himself as Chat Noir, facedown on the pavement, struggling to crawl away from something so boring it has rendered him completely incapacitated. His only solace was that anyone as boring as Miss DeGrange was likely unable to feel any extreme emotions, and hopefully be impervious to akumatization.

And as naturally happened, his thoughts on akumas soon led into thoughts about his Lady. Even just thinking about her brought a slightly dazed smile to his lips. He still didn't know who she was, but that didn't stop him. And lately, it seemed he was making progress. Her rebukes came slower, usually accompanied by a blush, and sometimes he even caught her smiling at his bad cat puns.

He also noticed other things about her as well over the years. Like how her body filled out her suit that left little to the imagination. Or just how flexible she actually was.

He may have continued down this particular train of thought, were it not for a sharp poke in his side. He did his best to hide a wince as the offending gesture came very close to the large bruise he was sporting over most of his abdomen. He had no idea how that akuma hit so hard, and he had no idea how Ladybug's magic hadn't healed him, though that last bit did leave him worried for his Lady's safety.

He turned his green eyes to the young woman sitting at the desk next to him. He had gotten to know Alya fairly well over the years. She was his best bud's girlfriend after all. Plus she was the owner and operator of the Ladyblog, a site Adrien visited far more often than he probably should. Still, he appreciated the pictures and videos posted. Maybe it was childish but having his Lady around, even in a digital form, helped ease his loneliness when he was at home.

 _'Wow. Probably should work on that phrasing'_ He thought idly, as he raised a curious eyebrow at Alya, silently asking her what she wanted. In response, she slid a piece of paper over to him using the end of her pen. He picked up the note and opened it, worried it would be another matchmaking attempt. He knew what Alya was doing, and he even knew Marinette had a crush on him. Okay, sure he was oblivious in middle school, but he eventually put the pieces together. He just kept playing dumb because... Well, because Marinette was a good friend. She was kind, and funny, and caring and would make somebody very, very happy one day. Just not him. His heart belonged to his Lady after all. And sure, maybe it was a coward's way out, but he found it easier to play at being oblivious, than to try to explain to her why he couldn't like her the way she liked him. It really was a shame, because if Ladybug wasn't in his life, he could easily see himself falling for someone like the klutzy but sweet baker's daughter. And as he opened the note, he felt the familiar weight of guilt that often accompanied having to keep up the charade settle into his gut.

 _'Plans for lunch?'_ He forced a well practiced smile on his face and scrawled out a reply. _'Was going to meet up with Marinette to discuss our class project, but she says she needed to do something during lunch. So, I'll probably hang out with Nino.'_

He slid the note back to the amateur reporter, who picked it up and opened it. He watched her brow crease as she did, and the smile slowly fell from her face, before she set it down and pulled her phone out hastily sending out a text and putting her phone down as their teacher turned to address the class. Adrien kept an eye on her from the corner of his eye. He knew she was sharp, and while he didn't know her as well as Nino or Marinette did, he knew enough to recognize when she had sniffed out some sort of story.

His gaze shifted from her to the clock, and then back down to the desk as he felt something bump against his hand. He looked down to see the note again, and subtly opened it. _'Max is trying to help Alix ask Kim out. Nino and I were going to provide moral support. You in?'_

Adrien chuckled softly under his breath. Alya had a reporter's keen senses, and she was not above using them for attempted to matchmaking. He was legitimately worried sometimes that she would catch on to the fact that he was just playing dumb in the face of her attempts to get him and Marinette together.

 _'Sure. Hope it works out for them.'_ He responded back, before turning his attention back to the lecture and consequently missing the narrowed eyes Alya was looking at him with.

* * *

Marinette sighed to herself as she landed on the rooftop of the building. As soon as lunch time rolled around she had made a hasty exit, finding a quiet alleyway and transforming into her superhero alter ego, Ladybug. Though after first period she hadn't really wanted to. Lunch would have been the perfect time to meet up with Adrien, and even if it was just to discuss their class project she was more than happy to spend time alone with him. Especially since she could string a complete sentence together around him now. Usually.

But, as one of the guardians of Paris, she had an obligation to the city and that dark shape from earlier had been nagging at her all day. Had it just been someone who saw what happened? Or had it been the person the driver claims to have almost hit? Neither one seemed very logically sound.

She peered down over the edge of the building into the alleyway she had watched the figure vanish into just hours ago. It was a T-shaped alleyway, with a straight shot from one street to the next one over, but about halfway through it branched off into a dead end. The set-up had her thinking of the entrance to shady back alley nightclubs like she had seen in a few movies. Though now it seemed more like a vestigial remnant of the older city layout, as the buildings around the dead end had no real exits into the alleyway.

But something caught her interest and she lowered herself down into the alleyway. And with her angle adjusted she could now see what had appeared so wrong about the dead end. After all, the deep scratches and gouges in the brickwork had been difficult to see from an elevated angle and were much clearer now that she was looking at them straight on. She walked to one of the walls, extending a hand and feeling an odd sort of primal fear that whatever had caused these may still be around. As Ladybug, she wouldn't give into that fear. But as her fingers grazed one of the long gashes cut clean into the stonework of the building she still felt rather nervous.

She walked along the wall trying to picture what could have happened here. Had this been the work of the fleeing figure? Was it an akuma after all? But why would it be so quiet now? She stopped abruptly as she stepped in something that felt oddly like sand, and looked down. Her brow drew down in puzzlement as she knelt and pressed her fingers to the spot she was standing in. They came away stained black. It wasn't sand. It was ash. The area around here was littered with it. She turned to take in the whole scene again but it still didn't make any sense to her. On top of that there was no indication if the figure had been involved, or where they might have gone after the fact.

She shook her head, pulling out her yo yo and throwing it to the roof of the buildings, using it to hoist herself back to the rooftops. She would come back later, possibly with Chat Noir to see if her favorite kitty couldn't sniff out any clues. She hated the unsolved feeling of this particular mystery, but lunch was only so long and, without an akuma alert, she had no excuse to go missing for an extended period of time.


End file.
